Not that the Indian Premier League or the other Twenty20 leagues of the same cadre always offer the shortest route to break into the senior national side, but they have indeed blurred the lines separating the top 15 and the fringe players. Pre-IPL, a call up to the 'A' squad was rejoiced more and told you that you are doing things alright to get close to wearing the national cap. While it still remains quite important in rewarding top performances in the domestic arena, an 'A' side call-up has become more defined than ever in terms of the direction provided.

Players who get selected in the 'A' side are the likelier ones to find their feet in the Test arena, while an IPL stint not just fast-tracks your chances to break into the shortest format, but also as seen in the past, has brought players the much needed visibility to even earn contracts in the Ranji arena. There's quite some context to the two four-day Tests and five unofficial ODIs this time around, especially with India and New Zealand due to face off in a month's time for a three-match ODI and T20I series. As New Zealand A touch down in India, there could be room for a few call-ups or comebacks, if not, at least close the gap between their competitors. Here are a few things to look forward to:

India 'A'

Rewards for a successful domestic season for India players

Although India aren't playing any Tests against New Zealand in the forthcoming fixture next month, the India A squad is a direct recognition of performances that came through in the Ranji Trophy 2016-17 season. The likes of Priyank Panchal, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Ankit Bawne, Hanuma Vihari and Ravikumar Samarth racked up runs during the premier long-form tournament, and while India's Test side necessarily doesn't have any immediate openings, there is a good case to make to be on the selectors' radar for all these batsmen.

And why just be on the radar? For the Panchals, Bawnes, Viharis, and their likes, they would want to bridge the gap between themselves and the Iyers and Pants. With the limited-overs series in sight, the one closest to find himself in the scheme of things is Pant, who has already earned a call-up to the T20I squad against England earlier this year. With a crackling triple ton and a blistering 48-ball hundred in the last season, Pant remains the first choice to be drafted in. It won't be a bad idea to have Pant in the squad and groom him in the presence of the seniors, more so in the shadows of MS Dhoni since he's tipped to be the next big thing in India's wicket-keeping scenes.

Shardul Thakur, too, remains on the periphery after he earned an ODI call-up for the Sri Lanka series. Although, he played just the two games with one wicket to show, he would strive hard to be around yet again. As for Mohammed Siraj, the Hyderabad pacer would look to cash in on a terrific breakthrough season by maintaining the hype around himself. Shahbaz Nadeem, who topped the wicket-takers' tally in the last season, also became the second bowler to bag 50 wickets two seasons in a row after Hyderabad's Kanwaljit Singh. For the seasoned left-arm spinner, the challenge would be to keep putting in the hard yards tirelessly and hope for a breakthrough.

New Zealand come armed with a strong pool of players, with as many as 13 of their 16 players in the squad, having played international cricket, and seven of them centrally contracted too. Selector cum manager, Gavin Larsen, admitted that this programme would be critical in honing the players' skills in as diverse conditions as that of India. "Preparing for international cricket is challenging, so this is a great chance for these players to improve their game in sub-continent conditions."

Chance to come back?

In Henry Nicholls, New Zealand have one of their biggest investments going around. With tonnes of runs on 'A' tours, across both forms of the game, Nicholls has been one of the most highly rated cricketers in the country. And since he wasn't on the flight to the Champions Trophy in England, he would look to force his way through with consistent showings against India.

Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry would be the frontrunners in the pace department, especially after a back surgery to Corey Anderson is set to rule him out of action for some time. Both Ferguson and Henry bring pace to the table and in Indian conditions where the ball won't do much, their pace would come in handy.

Ish Sodhi would fancy his chances too, given the conditions would favour him in India, but India's forgettable experience against Mitchell Santner and Jeetan Patel's experience might make it a tad too difficult for Sodhi to break into the side.

Can the young guns fire?

A lot of eyes would be on Will Young, who even before being named in the A squad, travelled to India with the Canterbury Cricket Club as a part of a training programme. While he wasn't an original part of the club's plans, he came in as a special participant, and under the guidance of consultant and veteran Mumbai batsman Amol Muzumdar, Young honed his skills to counter spin in India. He was also coached by Gary Stead on the tour and was trained to play the sweep against spinners without his front pad on.

"We were trying to challenge Will to trust his technique and it was about developing total trust on his game. If he didn't commit fully to the shot, he is going to get hit on the pads. Now without the (front) pad on, he has to be at the top of his technique to get the shot right. That was the thing we worked on there. It's a mental thing and trusting his game against spin," Stead told the Times of India.

Young will be a force to reckon with, and with four hundreds and 22 fifties in first-class cricket, he would want to leave a mark on the selectors' minds.